As temperatures rise and the calendar races toward summer, people all over the U.S. are heading outdoors for their recreational activities. The thing is, as they head back indoors they may want to check their bodies for ticks.
Despite a fairly harsh winter season, that typically limits the tick population, reports this spring are the freezing temps did little to cull this season's tick population. Health officials nationwide are primed for an outdoor season that could see cases of Lyme disease on the rise.
While it had been previously reported that the number of cases of Lyme disease has held relatively steady over the past few years, a recent study conducted by the federal Centers for Disease Control (CDC) claims that Lyme disease is about 10 times more prevalent than previously reported, claiming that as many as 300,000 Americans are diagnosed with the disease annually, as opposed to the previously reported count of 20,000 to 30,000 reported cases.
The reporting of Lyme disease is serious business, as state health officials are required by law to report cases of the affliction to government authorities. In the U.S., the number of cases is limited to specific regions with roughly ninety-five percent of the cases reported originating in New England, the mid-Atlantic states, Minnesota and Wisconsin, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
As public health officials in some states begin buckling down for what might be a rough season for the disease, many states are actually asking residents to catch any ticks they encounter and mail them to a specified lab for testing so they can test the bugs for any of several diseases ticks carry, including Lyme disease.
Earlier this spring, Cape Code residents began doing just that as working with the University of Massachusetts Amherst laboratory, public health officials there have been urging local residents to mail them any ticks they encounter during their outdoor activities.
The CDC offers up some helpful tips on tick removal should you find a tick attached to your skin in the weeks and months ahead. While there are several tick removal devices on the market, the CDC explains that a plain set of fine-tipped tweezers will remove a tick quite effectively.
There tips include: Use fine-tipped tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the skin's surface as possible; Pull upward with steady, even pressure. Don't twist or jerk the tick; this can cause the mouth-parts to break off and remain in the skin. If this happens, remove the mouth-parts with tweezers. If you are unable to remove the mouth easily with clean tweezers, leave it alone and let the skin heal; After removing the tick, thoroughly clean the bite area and your hands with rubbing alcohol, an iodine scrub, or soap and water.
